Statewide, spaces are available for 234 children to participate in the thirteen pre-kindergarten classes. To be eligible, children must be 4 years old by September 1 and they must be residents of one of the identified communities. Children are selected for participation by lottery. Applications for this program are accepted until August 15, 2013 and are available:

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is pleased to release the 2013 Legislative Wrap-Up, which reports on selected laws and budget appropriations affecting children in the areas of economic well-being, health, safety, early learning, and education considered in the Rhode Island General Assembly's 2013 Legislative Session.

Below is an overview of early learning and education victories for Rhode Island children and families in the 2013 Legislative Session:

Establishes Paid Family Leave through TDI that allows partial wage replacement for employees who need time off to care for a new child (through birth, adoption, or foster care), or a seriously ill family member

Expands the State Pre-K Program through the education funding formula by an additional appropriation of $500,000

Establishes a pilot Child Care Transition Program to enable currently eligible low-income, working families to maintain eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program as family income increases up to 225% FPL

Increases funding for education through the funding formula by $30.3 million, and increases funding for public higher education by $6 million

The budget maintains the current level of state funding for Head Start, but did not increase state funding to retain Head Start seats that will be lost due to federal sequester.